Yanis Varoufakis to Speak at Guildhall

‘Bloody Sunday, Brexit & The Democratic Process’

Acclaimed economist and former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis will deliver a public lecture at Derry’s Guildhall in January 2018. 

The lecture, titled ‘Bloody Sunday, Brexit & The Democratic Process’ will address the question of why civil societies across the world are demanding democratic change and accountability from their governments and what can sometimes happen when those demands are frustrated or resisted with: indifference, censure, repression and violence.

Speaking on behalf of the event organisers, Stephen Gargan of the Bloody Sunday March Committee said:

“Our committee decided to invite Yanis Varaoufakis to Derry because we believe his experience as former Greek Finance Minister and his current involvement with DiEM 25 (Democracy in Europe Movement 2025) leave him ideally placed to speak about the seismic global political changes sweeping the world and more specifically we believe the economic arguments and analysis he advances help shed much needed light and clarity on Britain’s recent ‘Brexit’ decision and what the likely consequences of that decision might be for the island of Ireland and our relationship with the UK.”

Mr Gargan continued:

“We felt it was really important, given January 2018 will be the 46th anniversary of the events of Bloody Sunday, to invite Yanis to locate those tragic events within a wider, world context, which hopefully will allow people to see Bloody Sunday in a global timeline and as part of a continuum of people across the world expressing their desires and demands for democratic change and also what can happen when those same desires and demands are suppressed with violence and lethal force”.

The event will take place on Friday, January 26th and following the lecture Mr Varoufakis will participate in a public conversation with former MP and leading human rights activist, Bernadette McAliskey.

Bernadette rose to prominence during the late in 1960’s as one on the leading voices of the civil rights movement here advocating political change. She was also one of a number of public speakers scheduled to speak from the platform in Derry on January 30th 72 when British paratroopers entered the Bogside and opened fire on the fleeing crowd.

Background on Yanis Varoufakis

Based in Athens, Greece, Yanis Varoufakis was formerly finance minister with the Syriza party. Due to his opposition to crippling financial terms being offered by the European Union with regard to a bail out of the Greek economy he resigned his post in July 2015.

He is a founder member of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025, which was founded in February 2016.

He is also the author of a number of highly influential books on world economics, which include:   ‘The Global Minotaur’, ‘And The Weak Suffer What They Must’ and more recently, ‘Adults in the Room: My Battle with Europe’s Deep Establishment’ (as eBook), and ‘Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: A Brief History of Capitalism’ (as eBook).